KJV: And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
YLT: and the jailor having come out of sleep, and having seen the doors of the prison open, having drawn a sword, was about to kill himself, supposing the prisoners to be fled,
Darby: And the jailor being awakened out of his sleep, and seeing the doors of the prison opened, having drawn a sword was going to kill himself, thinking the prisoners had fled.
ASV: And the jailor, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
Ἔξυπνος | Awoken |
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: ἔξυπνος Sense: roused out of a sleep. |
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γενόμενος | having been |
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Middle, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: γίνομαι Sense: to become, i. |
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δεσμοφύλαξ | jailer |
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: δεσμοφύλαξ Sense: a keeper of a prison, a jailor. |
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ἰδὼν | having seen |
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: εἶδον Sense: to see with the eyes. |
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ἀνεῳγμένας | open |
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Middle or Passive, Accusative Feminine Plural Root: ἀνοίγω Sense: to open. |
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θύρας | doors |
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Plural Root: θύρα Sense: a door. |
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τῆς | of the |
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc. |
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φυλακῆς | prison |
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular Root: φυλακή Sense: guard, watch. |
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σπασάμενος | having drawn |
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Middle, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: σπάω Sense: to draw. |
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τὴν | his |
Parse: Article, Accusative Feminine Singular Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc. |
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μάχαιραν | sword |
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular Root: μάχαιρα Sense: a large knife, used for killing animals and cutting up flesh. |
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ἤμελλεν | he was about |
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: μέλλω Sense: to be about. |
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ἑαυτὸν | himself |
Parse: Reflexive Pronoun, Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular Root: ἑαυτοῦ Sense: himself, herself, itself, themselves. |
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ἀναιρεῖν | to kill |
Parse: Verb, Present Infinitive Active Root: ἀναιρέω Sense: to take up, to lift up (from the ground). |
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νομίζων | supposing |
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: νομίζω Sense: to hold by custom or usage, own as a custom or usage, to follow a custom or usage. |
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ἐκπεφευγέναι | to have escaped |
Parse: Verb, Perfect Infinitive Active Root: ἐκφεύγω Sense: to flee out of, flee away. |
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δεσμίους | prisoners |
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural Root: δέσμιος Sense: bound, in bonds, a captive, a prisoner. |
Greek Commentary for Acts 16:27
Becoming εχυπνος exupnos (rare word, only here in N.T., in lxx and Josephus). An earthquake like that would wake up any one. [source]
Perfect passive participle with double reduplication in predicate position, standing open. Drew his sword (σπασαμενος την μαχαιραν spasamenos tēn machairan). First aorist middle participle of σπαω spaō to draw, as in Mark 14:47, drawing his own sword himself. Our word spasm from this old word. Was about Imperfect active of μελλω mellō with both syllabic and temporal augment and followed here by present infinitive. He was on the point of committing suicide as Brutus had done near here. Stoicism had made suicide popular as the escape from trouble like the Japanese harikari. Had escaped (εκπεπευγεναι ekpepheugenai). Second perfect active infinitive of εκπευγω ekpheugō old verb with perfective force of εκ ek to flee out, to get clean away. This infinitive and accusative of general reference is due to indirect discourse after νομιζων nomizōn Probably the prisoners were so panic stricken by the earthquake that they did not rally to the possibility of escape before the jailor awoke. He was responsible for the prisoners with his life (Acts 12:19; Acts 27:42). [source]
First aorist middle participle of σπαω spaō to draw, as in Mark 14:47, drawing his own sword himself. Our word spasm from this old word. [source]
Imperfect active of μελλω mellō with both syllabic and temporal augment and followed here by present infinitive. He was on the point of committing suicide as Brutus had done near here. Stoicism had made suicide popular as the escape from trouble like the Japanese harikari. Had escaped (εκπεπευγεναι ekpepheugenai). Second perfect active infinitive of εκπευγω ekpheugō old verb with perfective force of εκ ek to flee out, to get clean away. This infinitive and accusative of general reference is due to indirect discourse after νομιζων nomizōn Probably the prisoners were so panic stricken by the earthquake that they did not rally to the possibility of escape before the jailor awoke. He was responsible for the prisoners with his life (Acts 12:19; Acts 27:42). [source]
Second perfect active infinitive of εκπευγω ekpheugō old verb with perfective force of εκ ek to flee out, to get clean away. This infinitive and accusative of general reference is due to indirect discourse after νομιζων nomizōn Probably the prisoners were so panic stricken by the earthquake that they did not rally to the possibility of escape before the jailor awoke. He was responsible for the prisoners with his life (Acts 12:19; Acts 27:42). [source]
Rev., more correctly, was about to kill. Knowing that he must suffer death for the escape of his prisoners. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 16:27
Μελλω Mellō occurs either with the present infinitive (Acts 16:27), the aorist infinitive (Acts 12:6), or the future as here and Acts 24:15; Acts 27:10. Over all the world (επ ολην την οικουμενην eph' holēn tēn oikoumenēn). Over all the inhabited earth (γην gēn understood). Probably a common hyperbole for the Roman empire as in Luke 2:1. Josephus (Ant. VIII. 13, 4) appears to restrict it to Palestine. In the days of Claudius He was Roman Emperor a.d. 41-44. The Roman writers (Suetonius, Dio Cassius, Tacitus) all tell of dearths (assiduae sterilitates) during the brief reign of Claudius who was preceded by Caligula and followed by Nero. [source]
The Jewish law was forty stripes save one (2 Corinthians 11:24). The Roman custom depended on the caprice of the judge and was a terrible ordeal. It was the custom to inflict the stripes on the naked body (back) as Livy 2.5 says: “Missique lictores ad sumendum supplicium, nudatos virgis caedunt.” On πληγας plēgas (from πλησσω plēssō to strike a blow) See note on Luke 10:30; and notes on Luke 12:47. The jailor (τωι δεσμοπυλακι tōi desmophulaki). Late word (δεσμοσ πυλαχ desmosαρχιδεσμοπυλαχ phulax keeper of bonds), in the N.T. only here (Acts 16:23, Acts 16:27, Acts 16:36). The lxx has the word ασπαλως τηρειν archidesmophulax (Genesis 39:21-23). Chrysostom calls this jailor Stephanus, he was of Achaia (1 Corinthians 16:15). To keep safely Present active infinitive, to keep on keeping safely, perhaps “as dangerous political prisoners” (Rackham). He had some rank and was not a mere turnkey. [source]